After exploring the Valley, we headed out to take in some other areas of the park which are less well-known, but quite stunning in their own right - Mariposa Grove and Tuolumne Meadows.
At the southern end of Yosemite National Park lies the Mariposa grove - a concentration of giant Sequoia trees. These trees can live thousands of years and are by some measures the largest living organisms on the planet.
The pictures do not do justice to show the size of the trees, believe us when we say they're BIG! For example, one of the most visited in the grove is the "Grizzly Giant." The tree measures about 210 ft (64m) tall and has a circumference of 97 ft (30m) at its base.
After wandering through these giant trees for a while, we set off to the high sierra of Tuolumne Meadows. Tuolumne lies in the north of the park high above the valley floor and is far less crowded than the valley. The area is more than 9000 ft above sea level and is only open for a short period of the year while the area is passable in the summer (ca. 4 months).
While up in Tuolomne, we hiked up to Gaylor Lake, a natural alpine lake with some excellent high Sierra views.
We also spent an afternoon at the "beach" at Tenaya lake and went for a swim in the freezing cold water...
Next stop Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, more than 900 miles away!
- Nick & Jo
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